Back to the Beginning
by GreySide58
Summary: When something goes wrong in transportation, Spock and Kirk end up in the past on earth, where Kirk has to come face to face with a few things.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A lot of Spock's attributes in this story may possibly be based off the Spock from the original series, mainly because he's the one I'm most used to. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Quick Note: Thanks to _LikeMuh...Fashnik _for noting the mispelling of Kirk's middle name. I have now fixed it. :)**

Captain James T. Kirk sat relaxed in his chair on the bridge. The only thing that had been coming towards them for the past forty-eight hours was stars. The quiet of space was nice for a change. But as all nice things do, it was bound to come to an end, sooner or later.

"Captain, we are detecting a planet, 400,000 kilometers, and counting, ahead."

"Thank you, Sulu. Are there any life forms that we are able to take note of?"

"We detect no life form, but the air is breathable." Sulu told him as he looked at the scan that came back of the planet.

"Thank you. Mr. Spock, prepare to beam down." Kirk stood from his chair. Since being named Captain of the Enterprise he'd visited every planet they'd been to. The visits were usually the highlights of his day or week, sometimes. Some times they came across a race that was friendly enough to not try to kill them on first look, some times planets were empty of life and on the exciting, rare occasion, they got a planet of killers and those were always exciting, though McCoy often disagreed when Kirk was sitting on a bed in sickbay.

"What do you expect to find, Captain?" Spock asked as the two stepped onto the transporter platform.

"Not sure, but figured there's gotta be something down there of interest."

"Hm, I see." Jim always fascinated Spock. Most times he did things just to do them instead of doing them because there was a logical reason behind doing so. On occasion he would wonder if that's how he had been as a child and what would have made him behave in such a fashion. It was knowledge to him that after the death of a spouse, while still young and with a child, humans often remarried, so Spock was sure that his captain, although without his father, had some sort of male authority figure. If that were the case, then it became even more an anomaly the reason behind Jim's cocky attitude to those above him.

"Scotty, we're ready."

"Aye, Captain." Scotty turned a couple dials and then pressed a button. He watched as the Captain and his First Officer started to fade. His brow furrowed when the two men briefly appeared again before disappearing for good.

Kirk fell to his knees as he and Spock appeared on the planet. That factor actually disturbed him as beaming was always easy. All you did was stand on the platform and then you're on the planet in the same position you were in before beaming. This time, though, he was on the ground and trying to calm the storm in his stomach that had accompanied his fall to the ground.

"Do you need assistance, Captain?" Spock questioned, from his still standing position. Kirk envied him.

"I'm fine." He stated with a wave of his hand. Taking a deep breath, he slowly stood up.

"Now tell me, Spock, what just happened there?" he demanded of his science and First Officer.

"I do believe you were on the ground." Kirk swore he saw the faintest hint of a smirk on the Vulcan's usually stoic face. He narrowed his blue eyes at the green-blooded man.

"What I meant, Spock, was why was I on the ground?"

"Perhaps there was a malfunction in the transporter." That actually made sense.

"Perhaps." He replied with a nod before reaching into his back pocket to pull out his transmitter.

"Kirk to Enterprise." He frowned when there was no response. He tried again.

"Kirk to Enterprise." With an aggravated sigh he put his transmitter back.

"Now what?" he wondered as he looked over the terrain in front of them. The ground was flat and empty…it reminded him of home.

"We could walk. Maybe in doing so we will find what is happening." Spock suggested. Kirk glanced over at him.

"Logical."

"As always, Captain." Kirk suppressed the urge to laugh. Whoever said that Vulcans had no sense of humor didn't know Spock. Often times it was just him and McCoy that picked up on the Vulcan's subtle jokes or teasing nature, but each and every time it put a smile on his face. Whatever strain had been their relationship in the beginning was gone. This wasn't to say that they were the best of friends, they just understood each other.

Vulcan and human started forward in hopes of finding something that could help them make contact and get back to the ship. Spock, who could find no logical reason for making what humans called 'small talk' kept silent, waiting for his usually cocky captain to say something. Kirk wasn't entirely sure what to say, actually he was trying to wrap his head around where they were, what had gone wrong in transport and the marching band in his head. Something had definitely gone awry when they beamed down. McCoy was going to have a field day with this one when they got back.

"There is a vehicle coming toward us, Captain." Spock told him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"It's Jim." Kirk said absentmindedly as he looked in the direction of his First Officer's gaze. He was surprised to see that it was a car and not just any car it appeared to be one of the older ones his uncle used to own.

"Put out your thumb, Spock." This earned him a raised eyebrow.

"And what would be that purpose of that…Jim?" Kirk rolled his eyes.

"Just do it, you'll see." He said as he put his own thumb out. He was given another look before Spock slowly reached his hand out and protruded his thumb. The car veered at a dangerous pace, to the side of the road.

"Guys need a ride or somethin'?" a boy, no older than fourteen asked from behind the wheel.

"Maybe. Where'd you get a ride like this, kid?" Kirk asked with interest as he poked his head into the open window, his body leaned heavily on the car as he talked.

"Pulled it off a friend of my uncle. Hop in, unless you've got lots of water, you'll die walking." The boy flashed them a grin that Spock found remarkably similar to that of Jim Kirk.

"Ya heard what the kid said, Spock, hop in." Kirk started opening the front passenger door. He was midway in putting the seat down to get in the back when Spock's voice stopped him.

"What do you mean by 'hop in' and how can we be sure that this is not a trap?"

"Hey, a Vulcan, didn't notice your pointy ears there, man."

"I like the kid, just get in Spock." Spock reluctantly got into the front seat of the car. He glanced briefly in the backseat and noticed his Captain lean, with his eyes closed, against the cushioned seat.

"It would probably be best to find medical facilities or supplies." Spock said with his eyes facing towards the front.

"What for?" Kirk questioned while opening his eyes momentarily.

"You appear to be unwell, Jim."

"I'm fine."

"Actually I think you're friend's right. Don't be hurling back there now, either." Kirk ignored the kid's comment as he changed topics.

"So, what's you're name?"

"James Tiberius Kirk."

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I have to say I was completely shocked and thrilled at the response I got for this story. Thank you so much, all of you. **

**A/N II: It's been asked if this is slash, no it won't be, there will be friendship bonding between Spock and Jim though, but nothing more than friendship.**

**A/N III: Also, to help, I will usually refer to young James Kirk as James, although his mom, Kirk and sometimes, it'll be rare, Spock, will call him Jamie. And older James Kirk will usually be referred to as Kirk, although Spock will, on occasion, call him Jim**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing.**

Kirk's eye's opened wide as he and Spock looked at the young man.

"James Tiberius Kirk as in George Kirk's son?" Kirk questioned incredulously. He looked the boy over and realized that the kid did indeed look like him when he was younger.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you knew my dad." There was a hint of annoyance in the boy's voice. Kirk understood and remembered well the reason behind the annoyance, since half the time people had talked to him as a child it was because of his father. It had seemed that they all had had some sort of connection with his father, either they had gone to the academy with him or their cousin had shared a beer with him or anything. After awhile it just made him want to prove that he was nothing like his dad, that was until McCoy smuggled him on to the Enterprise.

"Nah, not exactly."

"Sir, if this is James…." Kirk cut his first officer off before he could finish that thought.

"Then we're just gonna have to call him Jamie to keep the confusion down." He noticed his younger self briefly grimace at the name.

"My mom does, so feel free." Jamie said.

"Mom?" Kirk sounded as if he were stunned

"Yeah, you know, the woman who gave birth to me."

"Yeah…right, of course." Kirk grew silent.

"Is something the matter, Jim?" sad blue eyes caught curious brown ones before the young captain gave a half smirk.

"I'm fine, Spock." It was a phrase Spock had heard multiple times already. He was now beginning to understand why the doctor often grew annoyed with the man. Often times Jim did things that would be to draw the attention of others, however he never revealed when he was hurting to anyone, not even the doctor. It was usually by some sort of intervention that he was taken to sickbay.

"So where'd you two come from? This is the middle of nowhere if ya hadn't noticed, so to see unfamiliar faces, it's unusual." James questioned as he momentarily took his eyes off the road and looked over at Spock.

"Something happened in transport. We somehow ended up here." Kirk explained briefly.

"Riverside, Iowa. Odd place to end up."

"Where are you taking us?" Spock asked suddenly. He hadn't heard the boy mention any destination.

"My place. Ma should be able to take a look at you", James told Kirk while briefly glancing in his rearview mirror.

"I'm sure I'm fine, really. Maybe if you just drop us at a motel or somethin'." Kirk knew though that there was nothing, besides the garage and a couple farms, for miles.

"Yeah, right. Man, you look like you're about ready to drop dead on us."

"The child is correct, Jim, in saying you need someone to make a professional observation of your health. However, I do not see what your mother could do for him." Spock said. In his time with Starfleet he had often read about Jim's father and what had happened on the day of his death. He had not however, read anything about George Kirk's family, sure that he did not need to know anything. In the couple months of being with Jim though, he was regretting his lack of research, as the man was surely an enigma.

"She's a medical officer." Both young and older Kirk said at the same time. Kirk's voice with his, caused James to slam heavily on the break.

"How do you know that?" he asked looking back at the man, his voice threatening.

"Easy kid, I know your mother, or rather know someone who knows her." He had to stick with that story because there was no way his mom would know him as he was older.

"Who?" Rubbing at his neck, Kirk mentally berated himself, he should've know his younger version would ask that. He thought for a minute before answering.

"A Marcus Tolman." It was a man his mom had mentioned before, but someone he had never met. James looked thoughtful for a minute as he placed his foot back on the gas.

"Alright. Oh, and my pointy eared friend, I'm not a child."

"I do believe that those still in the basic training of knowledge are considered children." James rolled his eyes.

"You're so odd." He said by way of a reply as he pulled the car slowly in front of an old farmhouse.

"Mom's home." He told them, nodding towards a highly more modern vehicle than the car they were in.

Spock made his way out of the car and waited with dutiful patience as Kirk pushed the chair forward and got out. The captain took in the scene in front of him. The last time he'd been home was a couple months before entering the Starfleet Academy.

"Love the place." He commented after a minute.

"It's alright." James told him with a shrug. Spock shot Kirk a raised eyebrow, who, in turn, gave his own shrug. The two officers followed James to the house.

"Mom, I'm home and I brought friends." James yelled as he stepped over the threshold. A woman, with her blond hair pulled back into a messy bun, stepped into the room. Kirk took a hold of Spock's arm next to him without thought. Spock glanced down at the hand that was wrapped tightly, for a human, around his arm. Then, with the usual raised eyebrow, he glanced over at the man's face. It appeared he was paler than normal, which caused him to worry further about his captain's health.

"Jamie, good to see you could make it home this evening." James rolled his eyes before giving her a kiss on the cheek. He then turned to the men.

"This is…." He furrowed his brow, realizing, he'd never gotten their names.

"Spock."

"And I'd be Jim." The cockiness in his voice was back as he dropped his hand from his first officer's arm.

"Nice to meet you Spock and Jim. I'm Winona." She said reaching out a hand to them. It took all of Kirk's might not to pull her into a tight embrace. As she held his hand in greeting, she gave him a curious look.

"You look awfully familiar. Have we met?"

"Um, no, I don't think so." He said, averting his gaze away from the same blue eyes he'd inherited from birth.

"Ma'am, you're son here has mentioned that you are a medical officer." Spock started, earning him a hard look from Kirk.

"Call me Winona and yes, I am. I'm on leave now actually."

"Very interesting. It seems…Winona…that my captain here is in need of medical assistance." He ignored the glare he received from man they were speaking of.

"I've told you once and I'll tell you again, Spock, I'm fine. Though that smell is making me realize how hungry I am. Hungry Spock?" he stepped away from the dark haired Vulcan. Winona cast them both a glance, taking time to give Kirk a longer one, very similar to that of McCoy when he was trying to silently surmise the state of health of the ship's captain. Spock rose what could be called an amused eyebrow at both of them. His captain was truly fascinating and he was determined to figure out what, as they say, 'made him tick'.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you again for all your wonderful reviews. They've made me smile. This chapter's a little shorter, but I hope you still enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing. **

Spock watched as Jim fell into a slumber on the twin bed in the guest room they'd been given to share. He, himself, was not yet tired and not quite ready to meditate either. Instead he decided to think over the events after beaming down to the planet. Something had caused them to enter what appeared to be the Captain's past. He could not understand how simply beaming down to the planet could cause them to go to a point in time in history, on earth for that matter. This appeared to be a puzzle, although one very different than those he would sometimes study back on Vulcan when he was strengthening his mind.

Something else was bothering him and that was the current poor health of the Captain. Whatever had caused them to land in the past had to be the same thing that was causing harm to Jim. With the man's stubbornness however, it would be hard to determine what was causing it.

Spock was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening and closing. Voices made there way to the room. They were loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough to wake the Captain.

"You were out late, Frank." It was Winona's voice.

"Marcus had a party, he's retiring."

"Hmm. I'm leaving in a couple hours. Starfleet's cut my leave short."

"You tell Jim?"

"Yeah, by the way, he brought a couple people home he met today."

"Ok…" Spock resisted the human urge to roll his eyes. Humans could be slow sometimes.

"They're staying in the guest room."

"….You let that boy bring strangers into this house?!"

"Quiet, Frank, I don't want to wake them or Jamie. Plus they're fine. They just need a place to stay, they were stranded in the middle of the no where, he was right to not just leave them out there."

"How can you be certain that they're fine though? What if they try to rob us, or worse?"

"They won't, I just trust them. Also, one of them is ill. I attempted to do something for him."

"What do you mean attempted?" Spock heard her laugh.

"He was quite stubborn, much like Jamie."

"That boy's too stubborn if you ask me."

"Oh, hush. Jamie's fine, he's sweet, just a little lost at the moment. Can't help that I'm off all the time."

"So what am I supposed to do with these people while you're gone?"

"They'll handle themselves. The one, he's a Vulcan, will watch over the other one. Just be nice"

"I'm always nice." There was an inflection in the man's voice that told Spock he was smiling

"Come on, I'm tired. I have to get up in a few hours. I promise not to wake you."

Spock stopped listening. It seemed by the short conversation the two had had that Jim's stepfather was not fond of him. It was something he would have to ask the Captain about when he woke up.

STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ STSJ

_Blue eyes widened as a sharp, metallic tip made its way to his head. He tried to struggle away from it, but he couldn't move._

_"Don't move, Jimmy, it'll only be worse." Jim opened his mouth, with the intent of cursing the man before him, but no sound came. A deep laugh emanated from the man. _

_"This is really the only way, Jimmy. It wasn't like you were helping your case. If only you'd been a little more honest." Jim opened his mouth again, desperate to get his two cents in. _

_"Go to hell, you bastard." He rasped._

_"You don't mean that." The metal tip was pushed against the back of his head, but didn't quite puncture._

_"Oh I do. After everything that you did to me, if only she knew."_

_"She knew, she knew how bad you really were, Jimmy boy. Why do you think she was always away?" Jim gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw against the emotions that tightened around his chest. _

_"It was her job. She had to be away."_

_"That's a lie and you know it."_

_"Why are you here, I'm a captain now, I can have you killed. What do you want with me?" the man smiled malevolently._

_"This." The metal tip punctured his skull causing Jim to scream in pain. _

Kirk shot up in his bed. The scream died in his throat as he fought to catch his breath. His heart was racing and his stomach churning. He fought the bile that threatened to make an appearance. Glancing at the table next to him, he saw the glass of water he'd put in place earlier in case he woke up and was thirsty. He took a slow cautious sip. The images were still burned into his head, feeling as real as if they had really happened.

Kirk glanced over to the cot that Winona had brought into the room and saw that Spock was asleep. For the second time since beaming down, he envied the Vulcan. The envy was brought to a halt when he felt a wet drop on one of the hands resting on his lap. Looking down he saw blood. He frowned for a second with confusion and then realized it was his own blood. He brought a hand up, in search of the source, only to find it was his nose. Instantly he knew this wasn't good, especially since the house's air was not dry. Something was wrong with him.

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Again, thank you all so much for the reviews, I really appreciate them and am thrilled to see you all enjoying this story. :D**

**This chapter is a little longer, so I do hope you enjoy it. Sorry for the wait. I sort of hit a kind of writer's block. Also, to those of you recognize the name Finnegan, it is the same Finnegan who is mentioned in The Original Series for bullying Kirk, although while in The Original Series Finnegan was a bully at the Academy, I changed it up a bit here, seemed to make sense and figured it'd be alright seeing as this is a different timeline. **

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing**

The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted up to the room, waking Kirk from a sound sleep. Blearily opening his eyes he glanced up at the white ceiling and then frowned. He never woke to the smell of coffee, in a bed so comfortable as the one he was in and a white ceiling. Pushing himself into a sitting position he surveyed the room. Then he remembered, he was home in Iowa, just that another him, a younger him was there and his mom was alive and healthy.

Reaching up to his nose, he was pleased to note that there was no fresh blood, Maybe it had been a fluke. The headache he'd had after they'd beamed down could've just been from lack of sleep and hunger and the nosebleed he'd woken up to in the middle of the night, could've just been a nosebleed. He wasn't normally prone to them, but they happened and there wasn't always an explanation.

"You are awake, Captain." Spock's voice startled him.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Where've you been?" he asked, glancing over at the doorway where his First Officer stood stoically.

"I have been outside to survey our surroundings as well as talking to a Frank Boyd, who I would assume is your stepfather." Spock told him as he shut the door and came to stand next to the bed.

The captain was pale and seemed to have taken on what he had come to know as his hard look. Other than these two negative appearances, the captain seemed healthy.

"What'd he have to say?" Jim's voice had taken on an emotionless tone. It was unusual, as Spock had often noted how emotional the captain seemed to be.

"He informed me that we are to stay out of the way while Winona is off on a mission."

"She's gone?"

"It would appear so, yes."

"Oh, ok." Jim was silent for a brief moment as he looked at a spot on the carpet. Then, looking up to the face of his first officer he came to his feet.

"I'm hungry. Lets get breakfast."

"Jamie at school?" Jim asked Frank as he took a bite of the replicated eggs in front of him. It was easy knowledge to him that the real, from a chicken eggs that were collected on the farm, were off limits. The eggs were sold weekly. Those that still enjoyed the taste of real food, usually local restaurants or neighbors, would buy the eggs. Not many people in Riverside and the surrounding towns owned top of the line equipment, often times food replicators were at least a decade old.

"Should be. You two have someone you can call?" he questioned, his voice gruff.

"Our equipment is not working. With a little time and some supplies, I should be able to connect us with our ship." Spock told him. A bowl of fresh fruit sat in front of him as he sat next to Jim at the kitchen table. Frank looked at him from under a baseball cap.

"Why not just go to a local station. Didn't Winny tell you we're about ten miles from a Starfleet recruiting center." Jim grimaced at the name his stepfather had given his mom. He often used it when he was trying to be sweet or just plain annoying. It seemed he was trying a mixture of both now.

"We're sort of trying to stay on the down low with Starfleet right now."

"Ya two in trouble? Cause I won't have troublemakers in this house, not if I can help it at least."

"We sort of absconded with a shuttle pod about a month ago from one of the federation planets. Spock here actually just got in my way, I was trying to get away, he tried to stop me, I took off with him still on the pod." Jim lied smoothly to the man. He was glad when Spock made no move to deny the story.

"Winona mentioned you were unwell." Frank looked pointedly at Jim causing him to try hard not to look away or swallow in fear.

"I was feeling a little under the weather yesterday. Nothin' a little sleep couldn't fix."

"If you're so much better then, maybe you could find a motel to stay at." Jim cursed silently. He hadn't thought about his stepfather kicking them out if he was well.

"Sir, it would be easier if we could stay here. The Captain and I will gladly do chores to maintain our keep." Frank seemed to think about it for a minute while Jim fought the urge to clap Spock on the back for being such a genius.

"Alright. I guess I could give you a couple of Jimmy's chores. Why don't you start now? The barn needs cleaning out. Think you can handle that."

"We'll manage, sir." Jim pushed his chair away and stood up. Spock followed suet. They were stopped from going outside when they heard Frank let out a laugh. Spock shot Jim a curious eyebrow while Jim shrugged in response.

"Don't tell me you're gonna go out like that. The heat'll kill you." He was referring to their clothes. They were still in Starfleet uniforms.

"These are the only clothes we have." Spock informed him.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Frank mumbled under his breath before speaking louder, "I've got some clothes you can borrow."

STSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSSTSTSTSTSTSTSTSTST

Jim was surprised at how normal his first officer looked in jeans and the light weight, gray button down Frank had given him. If it wasn't for the ears, he could almost pass for human, or at least a human android. He smiled at his own thoughts.

"Grab the shovel there." Jim said with a nod of his head as he pushed the sleeves up on the red plaid shirt he was wearing. He glanced over the hay-covered barn, taking in the smell of horses, hay and even manure. It was in this barn that he'd always felt safe. Frank never came out to the barn, not after the incident when Jim had been nine.

Jim had been brushing one of the horses. Music flowed quietly into his ears from the music player attached to his belt. Without thought he sang softly to the music, the horse seemed to enjoy the combination of the singing and the brushing. At nine he knew enough about horses to never make sudden movements or noises because if you did the horses went almost wild with fear. This seemed to be a bit of information that had been lost on Frank.

A large hand had clasped down with force onto the nine year old's shoulder. Jim froze mid-brush, as fear made its way through his veins. He swallowed a lump in his throat as his eyes clenched shut.

"Better turn around, Jimmy, don't want this to be worse now, do you?" taking a deep breath, Jim turned and looked up at the man's scruffy face, blue eyes trying hard not to show fear.

"Yes, sir?"

"I got a call from your school today, something about a fight, plus a detention." Jim immediately felt the need to defend himself.

"Finnegan, he pushed me and told me mom doesn't care and dad was a lowlife for only lasting twelve minutes. I had to fight back." That had been the first of many fights that he fought back in although it hadn't been the first, and definitely not the last, that Finnegan bullied him.

"I don't care boy. I won't have a troublemaker in this house, you got that?" Jim didn't respond right away as he unconsciously backed into the sidewall of Chester's stall.

"You hear me?" he nearly shouted. Chester stomped his foot as he snorted with what sounded like exasperation. Frank glared at the brown horse.  
"Shut up, you." Frank made a move to slap the horse, and before Jim could do anything, the man's hand landed hard against the horse's side. Chester whinnied as he raised his front legs up startled by the slap. His left hoof caught Frank slightly in the cheek, causing him to reel back. Quickly cursing the animal, Frank scrambled out the barn, barely looking back. Jim never saw Frank in the barn again.

"Jim." Spock's voice brought him back to the present. He blinked as he came face to face with what appeared to be a concerned first officer.

"Are you alright, I have been trying to get your attention for the past minute and eighteen seconds." Jim smiled slightly.

"Fine, Spock, just….hey, you called me Jim and I didn't even ask you to."

"It seemed the proper course of action at the time." Jim rolled his eyes at the logical Vulcan. Shaking his head of the memory he'd been so entranced in he stood up straight.

"I believe we have a barn to muck out." Jim grabbed the other shovel as he stepped over to an empty stable. If he was going to forget he had to work up a well earned sweat. It was something he hadn't done in a long time.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Again thank you all for the reviews. Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Jim wiped an arm across his forehead and leaned slightly against the shovel. It really had been too long since he worked like this and while it felt good, it was tiring. He glanced over at the Vulcan and noted that Spock had picked up easily what needed to be done in the barn. There were only two horses in the stalls, Jim figured that the others were out in the fields.

"While large, these animals are quite peaceful." Spock observed when he noted his captain taking a momentary break.

"They are, one of the things I loved about this place as a kid." Spock raised his eyebrow. Jim Kirk had never seemed the type to enjoy the simple nature of animals.

Jim furrowed his brow and licked his lips, he was thinking. Then blue eyes sparkled as a grin formed on his lips. He glanced over at his first officer.

"Hey, Spock, you ever ridden a horse or at least something like a horse?"

"There was never a need to indulge in using animals for the nature of pleasure." Spock was given a momentary blank look.

"I'll take that as a 'no'. Alright then, it's settled. I'm taking you out."

"Would Frank not be displeased? I would not think it wise to risk losing the lodgings we currently have." Jim shook his head, but still walked to the open doors of the barn. Frank's car was gone.

"He's at the garage now, we'll be fine. Come on, grab a saddle. I'll help you with it." Jim and Spock saddled the two horses.

Spock quickly took in and understood the basics of riding a horse. He soon found that riding the large animal was indeed quite pleasant. He brought his horse to a trot, next to Jim's.

"You know it's been six years since I've ridden a horse?" Jim commented as they leisurely wondered over the semi-lush terrain. He could tell they were still on Kirk land as the Kirk family was one of the only families in Riverside to grow vegetation and grass. It was often easier for other families to just use the replicators and other machines for things they needed.

"Fascinating." Although Spock did not feel that the question was meant for an answer, he had learned that humans often had a need for some response when talking.

"Only two things ever came close to the feeling, one being my motorcycle…" he trailed off.

"You mentioned two things, Captain." Spock told him after a minute. Jim smiled.

"I did. But first, quit callin' me 'Captain', we're not on the ship and neither one of us are really on duty at the moment. Anyways, the second thing, would be Frank's car. When I was twelve I got completely fed up with him so I took the car he'd been working on for the past six months. This thing was a definite antique, but it ran. I put the top down while going 90 miles per hour, the wind tore the thing right off. Either I set off a speeding trap or Frank sent them after me, never did know the answer to that, but either way, by the time I passed this kid I knew, the robocops were after me. I didn't stop, kept going, that is until I reached the cliff. The car didn't make it." as Jim finished his story he realized he'd never told that story to anyone before, not even Bones. He could just imagine if McCoy knew, he'd never hear the end of it. Then of course, other than Doctor McCoy there wasn't really anyone he was close to, so it was almost understandable.

"What could your stepfather have done that would caused you to risk your life in such a way?"

"Don't remember." The fact was he did remember. He'd come home with yet another detention while his mother was off world. Frank, at the time, had threatened that Jim would be sent away to a boarding school for troubled children. When Jim had come back at him, saying that his mom would never agree to it, Frank told him that she would agree, because it was easier to let others deal with him then her, because she was too busy with Starfleet to care about him. The keys to the old car sat on the edge of the table that was between them and without thought Jim grabbed the keys and drove off. He was afraid that his mom would send him off, that what Frank had said was true and that she really didn't care that much about him.

Jim pulled his horse to a stop and looked directly at Spock, who had also brought his own horse to a stop.

"Spock, what were your parents like?" It was not a question Spock had been expecting. Although they were becoming closer than they had been after the Kobayashi Maru, they were no where near close enough to quickly bring up personal subjects with one another. Though, as time went on, Spock was slowly learning to expect the unexpected with Jim. The man often defied what Spock had come to learn about humans.

"They were parents, albeit unorthodox in the terms of Vulcan."

"Because your mother was human?"

"That is correct. While father often taught me the ways of logic and encouraged me to do everything in my power to be perfectly Vulcan, mother often tried to coddle me. It is not customary to show such affections to children as in doing so, it relays emotion."

"So what, parents don't love their children? Doesn't seem right."

"Love, if you recall, is an emotion, one I often received from my mother. Vulcan parents show their children respect as well as teach them what they need to know. Vulcan children do not need the coddling that human children need."

"Ok and we don't all need coddling." Spock raised an eyebrow.

"I would presume you weren't." it wasn't really a question, but Jim gave it an answer anyways.

"Not always. Kinda learned early on it's not a great thing."

"From your stepfather?"

"Yeah." Jim stopped talking for a minute and looked around, he smiled when he spotted a small stream. "I'm thirsty. Lets tie the horses to that small tree there and get a drink."

Jim jumped down from his horse, but quickly grasped tightly at the reins to steady himself as a wave of dizziness swept over him. He looked to his left when he felt a hand firmly, but gently take hold of his arm.

"You are still unwell, we should go back." Jim smiled slightly.

"I'm fine, just need to get a bite to eat." Although the thought of food held little appeal for him. The headache he'd dealt with after beaming down, had returned full force.

"We shall return so that you can achieve nourishment." Jim nodded.

"Alright. I guess the stream can wait. Lets get food." He said as he slapped Spock on the arm. Spock watched as Jim slowly and carefully mounted his horse. Not having any of the hypos the doctor usually used, Spock was unsure what he could do to get the captain to rest so that he could regain his health or at least so that Spock could assess what was wrong with him.

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Enjoy this one and let me know what you think**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing. **

Jim sat on the edge of the bed, a cold glass of water grasped in his hands. He leaned forward, his arms on his knees, as he took deep, calming breaths. Lunch, or at least the eating of lunch, had been a horribly bad idea.

When they'd come back, Jim had sat down at the counter while Spock took the liberty of acquiring them food. His head was pounding as he put his fingers to his temples, attempting to relieve the pain. It was a frivolous attempt.

"Perhaps some sort of pain medication will help." It bothered him how well his first officer could read him.

"After I eat." Jim told him as he took a sip of the cool water that had been placed in front of him. With a breath he picked up his head and looked at the chicken sandwich Spock had obtained for him.

"Is there something wrong with your sandwich, Jim?" Spock questioned after a minute. He had already taken several bites of his salad, while Jim had yet to start his sandwich. Instead the man seemed to study it as if it were an unusual specimen of sorts.

Blue eyes glanced up at him, distant, but there.

"It's fine." Jim took a tentative small bite of the sandwich. He really wasn't hungry, but he had to prove to Spock that he was perfectly healthy. As he took another small bite, only to please his first officer, his stomach threatened to become mutinous.

"You know, this replicated stuff can't be good for you." Jim said as he set his sandwich down.

"It has yet to prove any harm to the body."

"Come on, computer generated food versus a home cooked meal, home cooked would mutilate computer generated." Jim was starting to regret his choice of conversation. Not only was the food threatening mutiny, but the conversation was as well. He looked at Spock and tried to listen to what he was being told in response to his comment, but the words weren't registering with his brain. His gaze drifted over Spock's shoulder and towards the window. He tilted his head as a girl he had been with right before leaving for the academy, came to the window. She threw her long blond hair over her shoulder as she smiled seductively at him. Part of him was tempted to go out to her. It really had been too long since he'd been with a woman. Being captain definitely put a damper on any sort of intimate relationship with the crew's women.

His eyes widened in shock as her eyes opened wide. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as a sharp, thick metal needle went straight through her head. Blood splattered on the window.

"Jim." Spock's voice drew his attention away from the window.

Spock looked at the man and knew something was wrong. Besides looking generally unwell, the young captain looked shocked, almost fearful. The Vulcan had noticed that he wasn't paying attention; rather he had been looking at something behind him. Briefly taking his eyes away from Jim, Spock had glanced over his shoulder and seen nothing that should capture his attention.

"Is there something out there I should be made aware of?"

"I—excuse me." Jim quickly pushed himself away from the counter and all but ran to the bathroom. Once there his stomach went against him and emptied what little contents it contained.

STSTSTSTSTST STSTSTSTSTST STSTSTSTSTST STSTSTSTSTST STSTSTSTST

Spock walked into the bedroom where Jim sat on the edge of the bed.

"You should be resting." The man's blue eyes looked up at him.

"Spock, I—I'm sorry, 'bout what happened out there, I…" Spock hid his amusement at the captain's unusual inability to speak his mind.

"Do not apologize for what you cannot control." Spock paused for a moment and looked him over. There was a flush to his cheeks that he was sure wasn't from embarrassment.

"Frank will be home in a couple hours, he'll wonder why we're not working."

"I will tell him you are still ill." Jim let out a dry, half chuckle.

"We already told him I as fine. He either won't believe you or be mad that we lied."

"Rest Jim, I shall take care of it."

"I don't really wanna rest." Spock did not understand why he acted the way he did. It was obvious he was unwell, yet he refused to take the proper actions to bring himself back to health.

"It is what your body requires." Spock told him before turning and leaving the room. He pulled his communicator out of his pocket. While Jim rested he intended to examine the mechanics of it, see what was keeping them from making contact with the ship. It was still a mystery to him what had gone wrong in transport. Part of him wondered if, when they beamed down, that not only had the communicators and tricorders been effected, but also Jim's health.

The half Vulcan brought his head up from the communicator when he heard a door open. The younger Jim Kirk walked in, a brown messenger bag flung over his shoulder.

"Where's your friend?" he asked as he threw his bag next to a chair and went to the kitchen to get something to drink.

"Resting."

"Oh. So what's wrong with him?" Jamie leaned against the counter as he talked to Spock.

"I am still trying to figure that out."

"So, what's good ol' Uncle Frank been having you do? Doubt he's letting you just stay here." Spock lifted an inquiring eyebrow.

"Uncle?"

"Yeah, uncle. He's my dad's brother." This was new information. Jim had not mentioned that his stepfather was also his uncle.

"That is quite fascinating."

"Yep. Um, Frank's not back yet is he?"

"No, he is not." Spock noticed him let out a breath of relief.

"Would you mind telling him I went to a friend's to study."

"I will tell him."

"Thanks man." Jamie patted Spock on the shoulder. The half-Vulcan narrowed his eyes as Jamie's sleeve rode up on his arm, allowing Spock a view of the bruise he had.

"What happened to your arm?" Spock inquired. Jamie quickly pulled his sleeve down.

"Nothing, got into a sort of fight at school. No big deal." He dove his hands into the pocket of his jeans.

Spock could tell he was lying, but chose against calling him on it. From experience with the older Kirk, he knew that pushing could only end in argument and currently he was not in the mood for an argumentative, emotional Kirk.

"I should go check on Jim." He rose to his feet as he put the communicator back into his pocket.

"Sure, you go do that. I should get going. See ya later." Spock didn't watch Jamie walk out the door, but made his way to the bedroom. Although he had told the captain to rest, he also wanted to talk about the bruise he had seen. Perhaps if waited until the man was slightly better. He was about to take a seat in the room's chair, when he noticed Jim moving around on the bed. Although it was not the Vulcan way to make contact with people, he walked over and placed a hand on the man's forehead. Although his own temperature was above that of humans, he could tell Jim's temperature was elevated a couple degrees above normal. Blue eyes opened blearily up at him, glazed over with fever.

"You have a fever, it is imperative that we bring it down."

"Aspirin's in bathroom. I'll get it." Jim started get up, but Spock pushed him down.

"Stay, I will get it." Jim watched as his first officer walked out of the room before closing his eyes against the sharp pain that attacked the back of his skull. He was starting to wish that McCoy was there so that the doctor could give him something, anything to the headache, the fever, everything just go away.

**To Be Continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. I started a couple summer courses though, and with a test/quiz each week, I have to focus my attention on that. There's that, plus the added horrible case of writer's block. I hope it's gone for good. I hope this chapter satisfies you and answers some questions you guys have had.**

**Thank you again for all your support with reviewing, alerting, and favoriting. :D Keep up the wonderful support, as it does motivate me. *Hugs to all***

**By the way, to those of you who wonder, _rizatriptan,_ is a migraine treatment, I looked it up. **

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing**

The intricate parts of the communicator were displayed in such a way that Spock could examine them. The human side of him was growing increasingly frustrated at finding nothing wrong, while the Vulcan side of him was working hard at suppressing the frustration. The only other logical reason that the communicators refused to work was that the ship was truly out of range, very possibly in the future. That reason, however, did not explain the tricorders. They should work, as they did not depend on the proximity of the ship.

Lifting his head, he stole a glance at the open door of the guest bedroom. He really would have preferred working in the room, as to keep an eye on the captain. However, he knew that the man would be less likely to fall asleep if he were in the room. Jim Kirk had a thing for doing everything in his power to keep from doing what was good for him. Spock was sure that this behavior would make him acting captain of the Enterprise some day. It wasn't something he wanted, just a logical hypothesis based on the provided evidence.

The sight of Jim Kirk slowly making his way to the doorway, startled him some. He didn't let it show though.

"Where is 'e?" Jim asked, his voice curious and lazy at the same time. He stood in the open door way of the room, his hand resting against the side. His skin was pallid, his eyes bloodshot. In short, he looked like death warmed over.

"Who are you speaking of?"

"Bones, he was just here. Stabbed me with a hypo just as I was dozing." He sat down on the couch next to Spock's chair.

"Doctor McCoy has not been here. It has only been you and I." Spock narrowed his eyes at Jim. If that man had been looking he might have detected almost blatant concern in the dark eyes. Jim wasn't looking at Spock though; his focus had strayed to the table that held the communicator and tricorder.

"What's wrong with 'em?" he questioned as he pressed a couple fingers to his head.

"I am unsure, I am still trying to surmise the answer to that question."

"You think they're even looking for us?" Jim's tired, fevered brain was jumping from one topic to the next, unable to sit too long on one.

"I would speculate that yes, they are. Between Lieutenant Uhura and Doctor McCoy I do not think we are forgotten." Dulled blue eyes looked up at him as a grin grazed his features.

"I've always wondered why you two hooked up together." Spock looked at him and if he hadn't been Vulcan, Jim would have labeled the look as a blank stare.

"I do not believe that the details of my personal relationship with Lieutenant Uhura are worth sharing."

"You're no fun ya know that?" he commented before applying more pressure than before to his head. He let out a low hiss of pain as he clenched his teeth together.

"You require more pain medication." Jim let out a small, dry chuckle.

"Guess so. Let me get 'em. I'm beginning to feel useless." He didn't let Spock say anything as he stood up. For the briefest of moments he had to steady himself against a wave of dizziness. Once it had passed he made him way to the bathroom. He felt Spock's eyes on his back the entire time.

Opening the medicine cabinet he reached for the aspirin bottle, but his hand froze when he spotted a different bottle. The bottle was labeled rizatriptan. His mom often took the pills when she was on earth. The headaches started around the time he turned thirteen, when she was home she'd often tease him and say he gave her all the headaches with his antics.

Because she was gone so often on Starfleet business, people often figured that their relationship was a tense one. In reality that wasn't true at all. They had an excellent relationship. He remembered one time when he was nine, he was helping her in the vegetable garden. They were talking, then after a moment of silence she looked at him.

"Jamie", she started, "I know I'm not home a lot. I wish I could be." That was something she often said. He knew she felt guilty for not being home, but he didn't have the heart to beg her to stay. Sam had told him once that she would go crazy if she stayed put for too long.

Winona had finished her usual apology with something different, "I don't want to lose you like I did Sammy." Her and Sam had fought a lot, Jim rarely listened, especially since majority of the fights occurred when he was a bit younger and even a little before his time. Sam had brains like Jim, it was something that, according to Winona, they got from George. Sam knew he was smart and he learned early on that he could argue. While most eight year olds would just say that they didn't want to do something, no reason behind it, just what they felt, Sam would give reason. Sometimes he argued just to argue and it drove Winona crazy. By the time he turned sixteen, he had graduated high school and he instantly left Riverside, looking for something else. He came back every now and again, usually to check on Jim, but the visits were always when she was away. Jim had asked him once if they ever talked, he just smiled and told him to finish saddling up his horse.

"Life's too short," she continued, "to let silly little arguments get in the way." He took that to heart. Very rarely would he argue with her. When she found out about some of the things he did, he'd accept her yelling at him, because she was the only one who could make him truly feel guilty about what he did and he hated that. He hated knowing that she was mad at him. It was when he was ten that she told him that when she yelled at him it hurt her, because she loved him so much. Jim didn't like hurting her, so when Frank gave him a choice between informing her about his latest delinquent escapade or being whipped, because that was how his daddy did it and that was how he was going to do it to Jim, Jim always chose the whip.

They only every had one true argument and that was right after she reluctantly resigned from Starfleet. Jim was fed up with school. The kids basically hated him, the teachers were tired of him and the work bored him. He didn't want to deal with one more day of it, so he decided to drop out. That hadn't gone over well with his mom. She wanted him to finish school so he could go on to bigger, better things. What she meant to say, but kept quiet about was that it would get him in well with Starfleet Academy so he could follow in the footsteps of his father. He didn't want that. He took off that night on his bike, didn't return home until a year later when he received a message from Sam telling him that she wanted to see him one last time.

Jim took a breath and grabbed the aspirin bottle. Emptying out three tablets, instead of the suggested two, he swallowed them down with some water from the sink. Pulling at the bottom of his shirt, he made his way back to the living room, where he froze at the sight of Sam and Frank standing before Spock.

**To Be Continued...**


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